Author Comments

CONTROLS - customizable
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Arrow keys to move
Z to jump
X to shoot a weapon
C to shoot a weapon (and hold still)
M for map (you can use TAB, but it won't work in IE)
ESC or P for the menu (pause)

ABOUT THE GAME
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Snailiad is an 8-bit-inspired game, which uses the NES palette most of the time, and uses NES music I wrote using Famitracker. I hope you enjoy it! :-) There's some references to eight-bit classics that helped inspire Snailiad, and you might also find a cameo or two from RPG Shooter: Starwish, if you play long enough.

Big thanks to:

AdamAtomic, for Flixel!
xdanond, for drawing some stuff!
newstarshipsmell, for lots of testing!
jsr, for Famitracker!

ABOUT SAVE DATA
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Starting with Flash Player 10.3, Flash save data gets DELETED if you clear cookies or browser history. If you're having trouble with saves, this list might help:
1. Don't clear your cookies or history
2. Make sure the Flash Storage Settings say "Unlimited"
3. Make sure "private browsing" is OFF
4. Make sure "clear browser history on exit" is OFF
5. Make sure "block sites from setting any data" is OFF (for Chrome users)
6. Don't run a program that deletes stuff, like CCleaner or Better Privacy

FINDING 100% ITEMS
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Once you defeat the final boss, you unlock the "radar"! The radar tells you how many items are left in the current area.

HIDDEN MODE
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There's a hidden mode in Snailiad! Once you've unlocked it, it will be one of the choices in "NEW GAME", below EASY and NORMAL.

TROUBLESHOOTING
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If you set your browser zoom below 100%, the bottom and right sides of the game will get cut off. Please make sure your zoom is at least 100%!

Rated 4 / 5 stars2011-06-27 20:12:36

(note that I consider 5 an "average", and a 9 is something truly rare and exceptional)

Going into this game, I was expecting something cheap and short-lived. I didn't think I'd be playing it for any longer than five or ten minutes.

But as I got deeper and deeper into the world of Snailiad, I realized I just couldn't quit. I became almost obsessed with finding all of the power-ups and Isis Fragments (still haven't accomplished that, though I feel I've found every last power-up). Finding all the secret areas had me in a fever for a while, I think. I actually had to force myself to take breaks - few games can put me in that kind of state. :P

Took three hours to beat the game. I was tremendously frustrated with the last two bosses, spending about 45 minutes to an hour apiece on both. And here's the part that had my palm glued to my face - after finishing the game, I realized I'd been playing on Normal when I thought I was on Easy. XD The challenge was immense, I have to admit. But once I learned how to use the Snail Shield effectively against Moon Snail, it didn't take much longer for me to finally triumph (there's nothing better than beating the hardest boss in the game with just one last heart left right as one of his attacks is about to hit you). :D

I'm going to keep playing and see if I can find this Isis Room. And you should make a map showing all the secret areas with the power-ups and Isis Fragments marked on it. I really want to see all these easter-eggs, after all, but just don't have the time to look for them. Perhaps you could make the map an unlockable (or activated by the Konami Code, just for lolz). And what's this about a secret boomerang? I think I already found the boomerang (I have one, after all), but that one snail only just started talking about the thing.

Anyway, moving on to some constructive criticism before I forget. The artwork wasn't bad - far from it, it was pretty good and simple. However, the opening cutscene does need to be a bit better - some potential players who would otherwise the game might not play it just because the first cutscene doesn't grab them.

As well, the gravity-changing jump feature made things really, really annoying for most of the game. I only got the hang of it AFTER I'd beaten Gravity Box. Changing directions mid-air was really tricky - sometimes Snaily wouldn't change direction even when I was pressing both "Z" and an arrow key at the same time, and sometimes he would. Having to hold the direction you want to go BEFORE hitting "Z" was much more reliable, but incredibly hard to do when you're trying to change direction quickly. And even when I pretty much had the hang of it, trying to fight Moon Snail and Giga Snail resulted in a lot of accidental gravity-changes, which typically got me killed. When you're under stress and jumping around a lot, you'll often hit "Z" multiple times in quick succession trying to jump just once, and you'll probably be holding an arrow key in an attempt to direct your shots which results in gravity-changes galore. (though in the end, I figured out that it's best to fight Moon Snail from the floor and move as little as possible)

Oh! And I should mention that I've never played Metroid. Ever. I think this is one of only three or four adventure games I've ever played. Adventure games generally aren't for me. That said, I'd play a Snailiad sequel.

Boss Tips:

First Boss - you can stay in the bottom left most of the time, even on the ceiling right above the door.

Second - stay in the opposite corner when he releases his mini-squares. Deal with those before anything else.

Final - stay on the floor as much as possible, use Shell Shield on his cluster-attack. Keep up a constant stream of Devastator blasts and always stay facing him to stave off his own stream of attacks. Move only when you need to get under him. For Giga Snail, stay on the walls during his transitions between phases and use Shell Shield during his Red Phase (stay on the wall and don't move, just Shield quickly). When he uses his ZZZ Attack, get on a wall and use Shield again.

Rated 5 / 5 stars2011-06-27 20:02:34

Terrific game

I'm kinda a sucker for exploration games
Also, if someone could help, I have 99% map and 98% items, I'm missing one in Lux Lirata, can someone name off some helix locations?

*Spoiler*

The Isis shrine is accessed through a secret tunnel in the Snail Town region, it is in the same room as a heart piece/container/thing, this leads to a secret area (between Snail Town and Amastrida Abyssus) that contains a helix, then there is another secret tunnel which leads to the Shrine

Rated 5 / 5 stars2011-06-27 19:59:28

sensational!!

Once you start playing this game its really hard to stop! There are so many cool elements incorporated into the game that I don't know where to begin. The graphics are fun, the gameplay is addictive, and the sounds and music are top notch. All these combine into a unique 8 bit platforming shooter, and I'm still not done playing it especially with all the different modes put in. My first time through it I beat it 100% in about 2 and half hours, and apparently it can be beaten in less than 30 minutes for all those speed runners out there. For replay value there's a variety of unIockable modes which include slug mode and boss rush (both are REALLY hard). The controls take a bit of getting used to, especially with the keyboard, but once you get used to it then its no trouble at all. I also like the many hidden secrets and video game references that can be found throughout the game. I've already found a few enjoyable surprises, though I won't name any that I found here, go play it and find out!!